Aircraft Overview: Gulfstream G280

 

The G280 is a twin-engine, super-midsize business jet manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in partnership with Gulfstream Aerospace.

 

While Gulfstream receives a great deal of attention and praise for the top end of its product line, their super-midsize offering, the Gulfstream 280, should not be overlooked. In comparison to its predecessor, the Gulfstream G200, the G280 incorporates significant enhancements in aerodynamics, avionics, propulsion, and passenger comfort.

 

One of the more significant upgrades that was included by Gulfstream in the G280 –which first flew in 2009 and was certified in 2012 – was an airfoil redesign. Incorporating design aspects of the G550 wing, the new airfoil allows the smaller G280 to have impressive takeoff, landing, and climb performance figures.

 
"The G280’s outward appearance indicates that it’s related to the G200/Galaxy/Astra IV family, but it shares little in common other than its basic fuselage and a few systems. It has a scaled down G550 wing, best-in-class Honeywell HTF 7000-series engines, a proper Gulfstream T-tail, trimmable horizontal stab and hybrid flight control system."

 

- BCA Senior Editor

 

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In addition to its two required pilots, the G280 is certified to a maximum passenger capacity of 19 in a cabin that has a length—excluding the baggage area—of 25 ft. 10 in., finished width of 6 ft. 11 in. and finished height of 6 ft. 1 in. In spite of that certified capacity, a number of the potential configurations advertised by Gulfstream for the 935-cubic-ft. cabin accommodate only eight, nine or 10 passengers.

 
"It's an absolutely amazing, amazing airplane. It's like a Boeing 787 in a small body. It'll fly 8 hr. at Mach 0.80. And there's no monkey business in Gulfstream's numbers."

 

- David MacNeil, CEO, WeatherTech. A G280 owner and one of the very few to be an owner-pilot.

Pilots operate the G280 using the PlaneView280 flight deck, an avionics system that is based on Collins Aerospace’s Pro Line Fusion-integrated avionics system and which features three 15.1-in. high-resolution displays. Other features of the PlaneView280 that are promoted by Gulfstream include an enhanced flight vision system (EFVS). According to Gulfstream, the ability of “authorized pilots to land without natural vision” when visibility is reduced has benefits such as potentially limiting go-arounds/missed approaches.

 

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Pilots told BCA that they love the aircraft’s sporty performance, but they say roll control forces are a little heavy at high indicated air speeds. They say they must take care not to use much wing down/top rudder technique when landing in a crosswind as the wingtips are comparatively low to the ground due to the short stance of the gear. 

Take a look at the full AWIN Program Profile of the Gulfstream G280.